1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to the recycling of hazardous materials.
2. Background Information
As the human population continues to expand, the need for recycling of toxic substances becomes increasingly important as a means of preventing disease and preventing contamination of air, water and soil and in general preserving the quality of the environment for all living species. To encourage increasing compliance and cooperation with recycling efforts, many waste management organizations have resorted to “single stream” recycling processes. In single stream reprocessing, a variety of recyclable items are combined in a single recycling container. For example, these materials may include aluminum cans; glass bottles of clear, green, or brown color; plastic containers; newspaper; junk mail; discarded office documents; and the like. Often, toxic materials such as mercury containing light bulbs, nickel cadmium batteries, and lithium batteries are discarded along with the other recyclables even though it is generally regarded as inappropriate to do so.
When mixed single stream recyclable materials are brought to a processing center, the various types of materials are sorted and separated out so that they may be individually recovered for further processing. The mixed recyclable materials are typically placed on a conveyor belt, and sorting usually occurs by a combination of automated, semiautomated, and manual steps. For example, an early step may involve manual separation or “picking” of cardboard from the remainder of the stream. Light materials such as paper may be removed by means of an airstream that blows them off the conveyer into a designated bin. Items containing certain metals are removed through the use of magnets on an overhead conveyor belt that lifts them off the primary conveyor belt. Various types of plastic containers mixed into the recycling stream are typically identified visually and manually sorted into appropriate bins. Heavy materials such as glass bottles and broken glass typically proceed to a subsequent separation station. At present, there is no convenient way to easily identify, sort and separate certain relatively small and toxic disposables such as mercury containing compact fluorescent lamps, nickel cadmium batteries, lithium batteries, and the like either by manual visual inspection or electronic imaging equipment or imaging equipment.